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Now it can be told. I had a horrible experience during my vacation a couple of months in Puerto Princesa. The incident aggravated me so much that I wrote an incident report to the Palawan Tourism Board. After several months (and several follow-ups), the management of the Inn has finally apologized. I'll let the series of e-mails tell the story: = = = My Incident Report: Hello Jeanny, I don't know if there is a formal template for this, but if need be, I would be more than willing to go to your office to sign. This is my formal complaint and incident report against the management of De Loro Inn & Restaurant. First, let me begin by saying that I visited Puerto Princesa last Friday to Monday. I left Manila via Cebu Pacific on January 30, 2009 and left Puerto Princesa via Cebu Pacific again yesterday, February 2. Upon arrival at Puerto Princesa, I proceeded to Sabang by jeep. Upon my arrival at around 3pm, I went to Bambua Nature Park but was disappointed to find out that the owner downgraded my reservation without prior notice. I reminded them that I reserved a cottage and that I received a confirmation for the cottage. I wouldn't have minded much except the room they were giving me didn't have its own bathroom. Since I was uncomfortable with this idea, I decided to move. To make up for the error, they gave us a ride to Sabang beach where with much difficulty, we were able to procure a reservation at a different inn. My complaint, however, is not against Bambua. Despite their error, I don't think there was anything malicious about what they did. I honestly think it was a simple case of over-booking. And although it was upsetting, it was something I could understand. Because of the error Bambua made (where we were initially booked for two nights), we decided to leave Sabang early. After visiting the underground river, we took the first jeep the next day back to Puerto Princesa. Because I was worried about finding a place at such short notice, I decided to call a few inns. I had a reservation for the Lotus Garden the next day but since we were leaving early unexpectedly, I needed a place to stay in for one night. Since our tricycle driver (Nonoy who can be contacted at 0909-757-8359) gave us a brochure of the De Loro Inn & Restaurant, I decided to place a phone call to check if they had a room available. I called the inn at 2:05PM. A friendly reservation officer answered the call and when I asked if there was a room available, they eagerly told me yes. They then confirmed my reservation of a Standard Aircon room for Php1,200.00. When I arrived at the De Loro Inn with my companion, we were welcomed with open arms by the staff. I noticed that a woman was observing the on-goings but thought nothing of it. At the back of my head, I figured she was either the owner or the manager. I told them about my bad experience at Bambua and the staff sympathized. My companion then paid the Php1,200.00 and we were given the provisional receipt. We were then given the keys to our room. At that point, I asked if I could use the phone and call the Lotus Garden because I wanted to confirm our reservations the next day. It was then that the woman suddenly turned to us and ask in a very brisk manner, "Ilang araw ba kayo?" (How long will you be staying?) I immediately replied that we were staying overnight. Upon hearing that, the woman started rebuking and shouting at her staff in front of us. Although I am not able to remember exactly what she said, she was shouting something like: "Bakit niyo ito pinayagan? Bakit niyo tinanggap ito?! Last room na yan tapos kumuha pa kayo ng Overnight?! Narinig mo naman sbe nila di ba? Bukas sa Lotus sila. Eh di doon na sila sa Lotus ngayon!" Surprised and trying to appease her, I said, "We're tourists. No one informed us and we don't know the rules. And you already accepted our money for an overnight stay. You could have explained to us over the phone that you don't accept overnight reservations instead of confirming it." I was still trying to talk to her but she proceeded to turn her back at me (still shouting at her staff) and proceeded to walk away. I was stunned and embarrassed. I am a paying customer and I couldn't believe that I was being treated this way. I could still hear her shouting despite the fact that she was already in the other room. I asked one of the staff members if she was the owner. They told me that yes, she was. The staff kept apologizing for the owner's behavior (but in hushed tones because they obviously felt they would be reprimanded further). My companion and I offered to leave because we realized we were no longer welcome despite the fact that we have confirmed reservations and we had already paid. The staff gratefully returned out money and they got our receipt again. It was a good thing that I also made arrangements with Ellen's Tours for a Honda Bay tour on the phone ride from Sabang to Puerto Princesa. When we informed them that we had confirmed reservations at De Loro, they sent their staff to get the money we owe them for the tour. When we were leaving, the staff had just arrived. When we told them our sorry tale, they immediately sympathized and proceeded to drive us around Puerto Princesa where it took 3 hotels before we could find a vacancy. We ended up staying at the Badjao Inn right beside Kinabuch. I am surprised and dismayed that the De Loro Inn & Restaurant management would treat us that way. According to their website, the De Loro Inn is a service-oriented company--I can assure you that with my horrible experience, this is not the case. We were castigated and maltreated when we did nothing but show up for a confirmed reservation. We had already paid and we were already given the keys to the room. If the owner just informed us nicely that they were mistaken and that they don't accept overnight stays, I would have been disappointed and upset BUT not angry. Or if the owner wanted to reprimand her staff, she should have done this in private and not made an obvious attempt to make us feel unwelcome. Instead, I ended up humiliated and aggrieved. Simply put, the treatment we received was not acceptable. Puerto Princesa is supposed to be the most tourist friendly place in the Philippines. We were lucky enough to meet Mayor Hagedorn at the Bajao Seafront restaurant and he welcomed us with open arms. He showed the greatest hospitality even offering us free transportation around the city the next time we visit. In contrast, we were treated badly at De Loro Inn by a resort owner no less. A resort that treats its guests as badly as De Loro Inn has no place in a city that takes pride in its eco-tourism. Thank you very much. Sincerely, Cherrilyn D. Roces = = = Finally, Here is the Apology Letter that I waited months for: Good Morning, In behalf of the management & staff of De Loro Inn & Restaurant, i would like to ask for apology for what happened last January regarding your booking here. We are very sorry if you got offended by our mistake, and we understand your remorse. We just hope you could find a way to forgive us. We do not intend to portray a badly managed company, it's just that our Manager was having the worst day of her life that time. Thank you and we hope for your forgiveness... Mayah Palma De Loro Inn & Restaurant DELORO INN & RESTAURANT PEO Road, Bancao-Bancao Puerto Princesa City, Palawan Philippines Post a comment in response: |
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